5 Life Lessons Learned From Our Weekend & Star Gazing

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It was Sunday night when we ended our weekend by relaxing our muscles in the hot jacuzzi after a pretty intense workout earlier that day. We both looked up to the stars and was reminded about how small we really are. With the Orion belt looming right over us, we ended up chatting about the importance of appreciating moments like these. Moments when you compare your tiny little self to how vast this world...this universe is, and in conclusion, how insignificant our problems truly are. 

Daniel was telling me how comforting it is for him to simply look up at the sky, and remember how we are all connected - - to know that we are not alone, and the sky will always be there for reassurance. When he told me that, it brought me back to the days I was traveling alone through all these different countries, and how lonely I felt. No familiar faces, meeting strangers everyday, and missing my home country. I recall feeling all right again, especially after star gazing because I would think to myself, 

'How cool would it be if Daniel or my family or friends, are looking up at the sky at the same exact time I'm doing it?'

Which brought me to my next thought,

'If we can all see the same thing, we're all in this together, all connected and never truly alone.'

 I took comfort in those thoughts. Back at the jacuzzi, I also told Daniel another reason why I enjoy star/sky gazing is because it's a quick reminder that we are only speck, very tiny, very small part of this amazing universe.  'Because we are small, our individual problems are that much smaller. So, what's there to worry about? Nothing!' 

Here are some photos and life lessons learned from this past weekend: 

Life Lesson #1: Look up at the stars once in a while for at least 5 minutes. Star gazing can make you feel small and insignificant - - but also make you feel like your problems are even tinier (well, that’s because they are!) Next time you’re worrying about something (like what type of gift to get your dad because the only thing he wants this year is an outdoor vacuum/leaf blower and a pair of socks) or whether or not you want to participate in this year’s Black Friday for Christmas shopping - - take a five and look up at the stars and remember life is super short. I am still blown away it’s been more than 10 years since I’ve graduated high school and even more taken back how fast the years go by. 10 years from now might seem like a long time, but it’s really not! Take it all in before the moment turns into yesterday.

Life Lesson #2: Be Spontaneous. “Why not seize the pleasure at once? - - How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation!” – Jane Austen. Sometimes in life, we want to make sure everything is lined up just right to do something. Maybe it’s planning to travel to a new country, planning a night out with friends or making plans to map out a Sunday. But there are times when making plans can turn into another form of procrastination, especially when over planning leads to indecisiveness. So when Daniel and I received an invitation to “crash” a wedding while waiting for our turn on the Gondole ride at the Hyatt hotel…we thought, ‘Well, why not?’ It made for a great story filled with free drinks, nice strangers, and a night we’ll never forget.

Life Lesson #3: Life itself is romantic. But I guess it depends on what the person considers as romantic, right? For me, romance means appreciating life’s moments by making it special and doing something to celebrate that moment. Of course, going on a gondole ride while having the boat guy belt out Italian songs in opera is a super romantic activity. But I feel we can make any moment in our lives romantic by…taking the time to tell someone I love you (friends, family, spouses), opening the door for a stranger and acknowledging one another, taking a picture that captures your eye…basically anything that involves ones’ 100% consciousness is romantic to me. I know I’m risking sounding a bit fluffy and cheesy here, but that’s the way I interpret romance. How about you? What makes something romantic? 

Life Lesson #4: Sunrises are calming. If you're like me, you're not a morning person and most likely have seen more sunsets than sunrises, in your lifetime. Set your alarm, make a cup of tea, and join the sun in waking up - - there's nothing quite like it. 

Life Lesson #5: Be silly. And, don't worry about what others may think or judge of you. Yes, we're adults and yes, we have certain behavioral standards in society and yes, we've got bills to pay- -  but that doesn't mean we're not allowed to have an imagination and play just as hard as we work. In fact, balance is key for a healthy lifestyle so take some time out of your day and be your fun, goofy self!

Over to you. What are some things you learned from this past weekend? Do you ever wonder why time flies when you're having fun? What are some things you do to stay in the moment?